Category: News

For more than two decades, Art Around the Corner has helped make public art part of the everyday experience of St. George. In 2026, that presence continues to grow.

This spring, a new collection of sculptures arrived throughout downtown St. George, transforming familiar sidewalks, parks and gathering places into an outdoor gallery that residents and visitors can experience throughout the year. The 2026–2027 exhibition also expanded the gallery’s footprint with new installations on the grounds of the St. George City Building.

It is an important part of what makes Art Around the Corner unique: there are no gallery doors to walk through and no admission price. The artwork becomes part of the community itself.

A New Collection for 2026

The current exhibition brings together artists working in bronze, steel, glass and other materials, with pieces ranging from playful and immediately approachable to abstract works that invite a closer look.

Among this year’s sculptures are The Future’s So Bright…I Gotta Wear Shades by Bobbie Carlyle, Water Watcher by Mark Stevenson and Celestial Gates by Tyler Kimball.

They are joined by works including Freedom by Deveren Farley, Joan of Arc by Gary Lee Price, Large Saguaro by Logan Clark, Matilda by Mark Rane, Snowy Owls by Stephen Landis, Space Moon by Reven Swanson and many more.

Together, the collection creates something that is constantly changing depending on how you experience it. A sculpture encountered while walking to lunch can become a favorite landmark. Another might reveal an unexpected detail only after you’ve passed it a dozen times.

That kind of discovery is precisely what an outdoor gallery makes possible.

More Than an Exhibition

The arrival of the new collection was itself a community event.

The 2026 gallery launched March 28 at Town Square Park, bringing artists, residents and visitors together to welcome the new sculptures. The celebration included opportunities to meet participating artists, along with live music, local vendors and a new youth scavenger hunt designed to encourage younger visitors to explore the artwork.

The evening before, Art Around the Corner hosted its 22nd Annual Artist Social, bringing artists together with community leaders, collectors, business owners and supporters of the arts.

These events reflect an important part of the Foundation’s work. Art Around the Corner isn’t simply placing sculptures around St. George. It is creating opportunities for people to interact with the artists who make them and with one another.

Bringing People Closer to the Art

That connection continues long after opening weekend.

Free guided tours of the Outdoor Sculpture Gallery are available for residents, visitors, schools, clubs, businesses and community organizations. Led by volunteer guides, the tours explore the artists, inspiration and stories behind individual sculptures.

Art That Becomes Part of St. George

The rotating exhibition is only one chapter of Art Around the Corner’s contribution to public art in Southern Utah.

Over the years, the Foundation has participated in projects including murals at the St. George Art Museum and historic Electric Theater Center, artistic transformations of utility boxes in the downtown Arts District, and efforts that have helped add sculptures to permanent public and private collections.

The annual gallery also creates a direct connection between artists and collectors. Sculptures in the exhibition are available for purchase or lease, giving participating artists an opportunity to find permanent homes for their work while helping expand public and private art collections.

That model has helped public art become something more enduring than a temporary exhibition.

Discover Art Around the Corner

Perhaps the best way to understand Art Around the Corner is also the simplest: go for a walk.

Start at Town Square. Wander Main Street. Explore the City Building grounds. Pick a sculpture you’ve never really looked at before and spend a few minutes with it.

Download the walking map and make an afternoon of finding the collection. Bring your kids. Schedule a free guided tour with a group. Read about the artists behind the pieces that catch your attention.

Public art works best when people interact with it.

And throughout St. George, there is art waiting just around the corner.

According to St. George News, “A giant spider made of old license plates is crawling its way from St. George into national notoriety.” … Rivers Wall Art recently unveiled a roundup of America’s ugliest public art, and Utah left a big impression. “First off, it makes me laugh,” Farley said about his art making the list. “It’s hilarious. I just wish I could’ve got No. 1.” … “Across the country, there are sculptures and monuments that have earned more side-eye than admiration — whether because of their strange proportions, odd subject matter or simply the way they clash with their surroundings,”

Read the full article on St. George News

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The Art Around the Corner Foundation (AACF) invites you to join us in
marking 21 years of public art installations in St. George, Utah. AACF is a
registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting the
arts, enriching the community, and bringing fine art to the heart of historic
St. George.

Initially known as the Dixie Arts Foundation, and later the Pioneer Center
for the Arts, AACF was originally formed in 1988. Our flagship project is
the Outdoor Sculpture Gallery, a collection of sculptures from nationally
renowned artists, that can be enjoyed by residents and visitors year-round,
free of charge. All sculptures are available for sale or lease, with new
exhibitions installed annually.

Throughout our history, the Art Around the Corner Foundation has also been
instrumental in such projects as the restoration of the Opera House, the
construction of the St. George Art Museum and Social Hall, the creation of
murals on several public buildings, and the conversion of City utility boxes
into works of art. While curating an exciting exhibit each year, AACF has
brokered sales in excess of $1,000,000.

There’s a new 12-foot-long metal dragon in St. George.

Its eyes are made from kitchen utensils. Its belly, two stop signs. The scales that cover its wings, horns and everywhere else come from the Salt Lake City police station’s evidence room.

“All those license plates you see on that dragon have been confiscated by the police,” Utah County artist Deveren B. Farley said. “Every five to six months, they’ll call me up and say, ‘Hey, Deveren, we got another load for you.’”

He recently installed this larger-than-life sculpture in Town Square Park as part of the annual Art Around the Corner event. It’s an outdoor gallery that features dozens of pieces around St. George starting April 12.

The idea is to support Utah creators by marketing their work, while bringing art to the masses.

“Public art is so important,” Art Around the Corner Foundation Chair Heather Atkin said. “It lets people who maybe wouldn’t have access to fine art have that access on a daily basis.”

This year’s event includes 38 pieces by artists from across Utah and as far away as Louisiana and British Columbia. The creators get a small stipend to lend the pieces to the city for one year, and the community gets to enjoy the thought-provoking view.

“It’s a way for people not only to interact differently with the world, but see the world through a different perspective,” Atkin said.

See the full article on KUER

Join us Saturday, April 12 at Town Square.
From 10 AM – 12 PM in St. George, UT